Where did the nickname rat motor come from?

The 392 hemi is refered to as a "WHALE"

 

Never heard that one beforeo

 

I looked in my official PixDix from 1970 and it mentions nothing. So I got nothing.
By the way, Drag Racing PixDix , 1970 Library of Congress #78-107675 is the best book I have not returned back to my elementary school library.

 

Originally Posted by dreracecar
The 392 hemi is refered to as a "WHALE"

He's correct. Early model hemi was/is the "whale." Late model (426) was/is the "elephant." I never heard the 392/354/331 style called the whale until after the "elephant" came along.

 

So, which one of you old farts besides me, rememberes the " semi-hemi ", and who made that

 

As I remember, the "semi-hemi" was the BBC, also. Could be wrong, but that's what I "think" I remember.

 

I heard it was because of the thin pushrods. Anyways, back in the 70s, I remember the 348s/409s being referred to as Prehistoric Rats.

 

Small diameter of the head of the valves, so small that they they looked like nails and the fact that they run verticle to the ground. The rocker arms like hammers were driving in the nails or valves. Hence the name " nailhead ".

 

Yep - Most folks in the know consider this to be the most accepted fact on Rat Motor.

 

454s were released in 1970, in '66 427 were new. Did they stroke a 427 to get a 454? Hmmmm...

 

It wouldn't surprise me if it were built from a bored and stroked 396 before the 427s were available, but I don't know for sure.

I do know they ran 370+ cubic inch smallblocks and 450+ cubic inch Olds, Caddys, Lincolns, & Chryslers before that.

And I'll go with semi-hemi being another name for big block Chevys. They were called lots of different things, 'specially by folks that had to race against them.
Larry T

 

I'm pretty sure the "semi-hemi" was a prototype sbc engine put in a very limited amount of camaros. But was never put into production because of poor performance due to the "L" shaped exhaust ports. I used to have a Smokey Yunick book where he talked about them and had a picture of them.

 

I thought rat and mouse name came because sbc's are EVERYWHERE.
Learn something everyday hhuh

 

What was the early nickname of the engine later called the Shotgun?

 

Great question!!!

 

Boss?

 

boss 429

 

Semi-hemi

 

im from ohio and wasnt born till 70 and this is the story ive allways heard

 

What are the fuckin chances??
Yesterday evening i was looking at the box of a 70 impala model i just finished and reading "454 rat motor", and i wondered why it was called a rat motor.
What are the chances that someone else was wondring the same thing and posted it on the hamb, and that it popped up on the 1st page when i logged in.....X files kinda shit

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Bob
It began in '60s drag racing with the custom of referring to the Chrysler hemi as an "elephant" motor due to it's size. The Chev loyalists, being proud of the power output of their small block engines relative to size, coined the term "mouse motor" because elephants are supposedly afraid of mice. It's then natural that a "big mouse" is a rat...............

EDIT: This is the '60s SoCal drag racer version of the story from someone who actually lived it.....others will vary I'm sure....


im from ohio and wasnt born till 70 and this is the story ive allways heard "




Should be easy to check, anyone have a pre 65 magazine with "mouse motor" in it? They were pretty good about using the latest slang.
Larry T

 

Ford originally called it the "Blue Crescent" engine, which was installed in the Boss 429 Mustang only to qualify it for NASCAR use. Originally just the car was called the Boss, not the engine. After folks got a few looks at those intake ports with a "straight shot to the valve" (sometimes with a tennis ball stuck in them) "Shotgun" just came naturally.
I also remember the rat name being first, and the mouse "little brother".
Somewhere I have a magazine from '65 with an article titled "Bolt in semi-hemi power and wail", about swapping a new 396-375hp engine into a '61 Chebbie pursuit cop car that previously had a tired 480ci stroker 409 in it
Anybody remember the "Calliope" engine?
There was also a 351 engine in '67- yeah, '67

 

Great thread. Great history, guys!

 

And Mopar "Wedge" heads or engine. All the manufacturers used wedge type combustion chambers but the term was most often used to describe non Hemi B block's

 

I remember the rat motors also being referred to as a "Semi-Hemi"

 

I always wanted to know that too, Thanks

 

I always thought this was a semi hemi

 

I am with MeanGene ... the rat came first and because chevy came up with a big'ol small block with the 400 they refered to it as the rats little brother ... the mouse. And pretty soon all sbc's were refered to as a mouse motor.

....AND ... the diference between big block and small block? ... generally location of centerline of crank compared to the plane of oilpan mounting surface ... small block cranks tucked inside. .... nothing to do with cubic inches!

 

Not on any of the small block Chevy's I've worked on.
Larry T

 

????????????????
by this pretzel logic the B/RB/426 Hemi and Ford FE's are small blocks.

I think you are inhaling too deeply dude.